Updated: Thursday, October 29, 2026 · Next update: Thursday, November 5, 2026
This New Jersey fishing report is a seasonal outlook for the Jersey Shore’s inlets, beaches and wrecks. The fall striped bass migration is building as bait moves south, blackfish are settled onto jetties and wrecks, and bluefish are thinning as water cools. Wind and surf are the main variables, since a northeast blow can stir up the beaches while a westerly flattens the inlets.
What’s Hitting
Striped bass are the headline, moving along the beaches and through the inlets from Sandy Hook to Cape May on a steady push of bunker and mullet. Blackfish are on jetties, wrecks and bridge pilings in cooler water. Bluefish remain in the surf but are less numerous, and a few late bonito and false albacore may linger. Fluke have moved offshore, and sea bass are available over reefs. Peanut bunker and mullet are the key forage this week, and their presence is the best clue to where striped bass will be feeding.
Where to Find Them
Manasquan Inlet and Barnegat Inlet are the classic stops for stripers on the outgoing tide. Island Beach State Park’s surf holds stripers and blues at dawn and dusk. Sandy Hook’s beaches and the Raritan Bay shoreline hold stripers around bunker schools. Offshore, wrecks and the Barnegat Ridge hold blackfish, and Cape May Rips attract stripers feeding on bait. Cape May Point and the Delaware Bay shoreline provide additional options at the southern end of the state, particularly when the northeast wind limits other areas.
Tides & Conditions
With the moon waning, tidal flow is easing from last week’s stronger range. The outgoing tide at the inlets remains the best window for stripers, and slack tide is best for blackfish. Wind direction shapes the surf: a westerly offshore wind flattens the beaches, while onshore wind stirs bait into the wash. Check the marine forecast, especially near inlets. Even a short, calm window between fronts can produce excellent action, so be ready to go when the forecast cooperates.
Tackle & Tactics
Bunker chunks, bucktails with soft plastic trailers and swimming plugs for stripers. For blackfish, green crabs or clams on a heavy jig, fished straight down on structure. Use a medium-heavy rod with 30 pound braid and a 40 pound fluorocarbon leader. Carry a mix of lures to match the bait: bucktails, swimming plugs and soft plastics all earn a place in the bag. A white or yellow bucktail with a pearl soft plastic trailer is a dependable searching lure in the surf, and a topwater plug works well at dawn.
Local Intel This Week
Public access includes Island Beach State Park, Manasquan Inlet and Sandy Hook. Fish concentrate at the inlets on moving tide, along beaches near bait and on wrecks and jetties. Check current state and federal regulations and seasons before keeping fish, as striped bass and tautog rules are specific and change.
This Week’s Tip
Follow the birds. Diving gulls and gannets over peanut bunker or mullet usually mark stripers feeding underneath. Keep moving until you find bait. Stripers follow forage, and a few casts in the right spot beat an hour at the wrong one.
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